KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella.
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The city of Independence has six main bus routes and for the last four years, people have been taking the routes across the city for free. But that's going to stop on Dec. 31, 2024.
Daily bus riders like Glenda Diane Williams are worried about getting around the area without public transportation.
"It's going to be impossible," Williams said.
Williams depends on the Indy Bus routes to get her medicine, groceries and go to doctor's appointments.
On a fixed income, Williams explained she can't afford other forms of transit.
"Some of these people on the council, and I'm not saying this in a mean or cruel way, they don't worry about having to buy toilet paper," Williams said.
The city of Independence received about $5.2 million in 2020 from federal COVID-19 relief funding to keep the buses running and fare free.
That money is now all gone, and Independence's community development director explained charging fares again for the buses won't make up for the nearly $3.5 million operating costs.
"The cost of operation and labor has gone up significantly since 2019, and if we were to charge $3 fares again, it would only cover a portion of what the city is spending," Tom Scannell said.
As a solution, the city plans to keep bus Route 24 which travels from Independence to the Kansas City area, charge a $3 fare for para transit rides and implement IRIS micro-transit within city limits.
"How are you going to go all over the city like a taxi cab?" one citizen asked at a town hall meeting on Wednesday.
IRIS operates similar to a ride share program like Uber or Lyft, where the passenger will request a ride through an app or phone call, then be picked up/dropped off within 1/4 mile of their location. The IRIS services will cost people a flat rate of $5 per ride.
"Introducing those fares, it does keep our transit costs within our budgeted amounts," Scannell said.
However, daily riders like Anthony Cunningham aren't optimistic the proposed five cars with IRIS will make up the nearly 300,000 bus rides Independence transit provides a year.
"I don't understand at all how it's going to soak up demand from all these folks who have to get places day in and day out," Cunningham said.
Cunningham depends on public transit in the KC area and also advocates with Sunrise Movement KC.
The environment sustainability group has been outspoken about the reduction of public transit in the Kansas City area.
"Sunrise Movement KC... denounces City of Independence bus cuts and demands Jackson County leaders step in and fund transit," a statement to KSHB 41 News said. "Young people with Sunrise Movement KC... demand Jackson County legislators take urgent action to fund the system within the region."
The president of KC operations with WHC Worldwide, the company which owns IRIS, told the dozens of concerned residents at Wednesday night's meeting the dynamic structure can be changed based on transit needs.
"We have the ability to scale up if all of a sudden the city of Independence decides they undershot with five cars; we can add four, five, 10 more cars the next day," Terry O'Toole said.
The six month trial program will cost about $480,000. Independence will pay $420,000 and the riders will contribute the remaining $60,000 through the $5 fare.
IRIS rides will begin on Jan. 1, 2025 and run until June 30, 2025, at which point Independence city leaders have said they will evaluate the program's efficiency.
"Having data from all of our riders to see where they are going to and coming from, that will allow us to make adjustments along the way," Scannell said.
IRIS is available in Kansas City, Missouri, but it has had some complications with the drivers.
Workers held a rally to unionize in October, calling for better benefits like paid time off and lower fees on their paychecks.
KSHB 41 News reporter Isabella Ledonne brought that issue to Independence city staff to see if they were concerned.
"Independence on an area is significantly smaller than Kansas City, so they are confident they are able to attract the drivers for the service here," Scannell said.
Kansas City contracts Z-Trip for the IRIS service, which is separate from the Independence service.
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